A Day At the Fair

What a great day at the fair! We all had such a good time and I think the girls made some great memories. We saw cows, horses, pigs, sheep, goats, rabbits, and one chinchilla. Both Lainey and Sarah Grace got to pet a calf, a cow, and a sheep. (And yes, there was thorough hand washing that followed. No E Coli for us, thank you!) The day was HOT and this time I really mean it. It was close to 90 degrees in Lynden. Lon and I have been away from the South too long and are no longer used to such heat and the girls certainly aren't! Alas, we almost wilted several times but still managed to have a good time. After almost having to leave Lainey as a payment for our lunch (seriously, is there anything really "fair" about $3.50 for a corn dog?) and not wanting to have to trade in other children in exchange for a book of tickets, we told the girls they could ride 2 rides and that was it. This was before we realized that Sarah Grace was 2 inches too short to ride on anything even with an adult. So, we talked them down to one ride on the ferris wheel which, because Lon had to ride with them, still ended up costing us $12. But it was worth every penny to see how much they enjoyed it. As I watched (from a shady spot beneath a tent) Lon and the girls wait in line to get on the ferris wheel, I was reminded of my own childhood when Fath (that's my dad for those unaware) and I went to the state fair every year. Nearly every year between kindergarten and 8th grade and a couple of times in high school, he would either take me out of school or take me on a Saturday to the fair in Raleigh. Those are some of my favorite memories of childhood and I'm so grateful to be making similar ones with my own children. It was just neat to see it from the parent's perspective this time- the kids wanting every single plastic toy they see and not understanding why dad doesn't want to pay $5.00 to shoot a basketball for a toy worth $1.00 that he may or may not actually win; wanting to sample every food from every vendor that you pass no matter that they couldn't possibly be hungry or that it cost more than the admission price into the fair itself and not understanding why they can't ride every single ride they see (though to Fath's credit, he let me ride A LOT and rode A LOT with me each year). We ended our time at the fair by sharing a big bag of pink cotton candy. I can't remember the last time I had some, but it took me back yet again to the days of childhood. Is there any better candy than cotton candy? I was always amazed at how it just seemed to disappear in my mouth. Even today I found myself wondering "Where does it all go?" (As an adult I now know the answer to that questions is 'on the hips' as in "A moment on the lips, forever on the hips.") As we left the fair to walk back to the car, Lainey said, "I want to come back tomorrow!" And so it goes.

Enjoying some cotton candy

Here's Sarah Grace with a little cotton candy on her face, shortly before Lainey picked it off and ate it. Words you thought you'd never say as a parent: Don't eat food off of your sister's face!